Can-cooker.



J. COOK.

GAN connu.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19I 1909.

Patent-,ed Dec. 7, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

QNN

J. COOK.

GAN GOOKBR. APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 19, 1909. l" QQQQSILQ, Patented Dec.7, 1909. I l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN COOK, OE WEST BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

CAN-COOKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 19, 1909. Serial'No. 503,178.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOHN COOK, citizen of the United States, residing atWest Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Can-Cookers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for cooking the contents of sealedcans.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical apparatuswhich will be continuous in operation, which will keep the cans turningover during the cooking operation, and which is readily adjustable toany desired length of cooking period. That is to say, by this inventionI am able to adapt it to coo-k the cans for five minutes, or tenminutes, or any other suitable period, according to the nature orcondition of the goods undergoing treatment;

Having' reference to the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a sideelevation and part section of a portion of a machine embodying myinvention. Fig. 2' is a similar view of the remaining portion of saidmachine. Fig. 3 is a detail and side ele-l vation showing the manner ofsupporting the cans to make them roll while passing through the cooking'bath. Fig. 4t is a crosssection on X-X, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail ofthe carrier adjusting means. Fig. 6 is a. section on Y-Y, Fig.

In the embodiment of the invention I employ an endless carrier A of anysuitable length and width mounted on an appropriate framework to travelaround the endsprockets 2 3. This carrier has its lower run supportedupon suitable rollers r and is preferably constructed in a specialmanner, as here shown, and consists of a series of crosswise extendinginverted T- bars 5 secured to the belts or chains A and suitablyspacedapart to accommodate the cans et and provide intervening slots 6 throughwhich the cans may protrude and may be supported and roll on theangleiron flooring T, F ig. i, in the bottom of the tank 8 when thecarrier is allowed to be submerged into the tank, as shown at a., Fig.2. This angle-"iron flooring T extends the length of the tank and thecarrier slides over it when the carrier is lsubmerged. The spaces orslots (3 between the successive bars 5 are such that the cans will beeasily accommodated without any possibility of jamming at any point ofthe apparatus. The

carrier A is operated continuously and at suitable speed by anyappropriate means.

The cooking of the cans is done by pass ing the cans through hot Watercontained in a suitable tank 8, but the upper portion of the carrier isadapted to have only an amount of its length submerged, according to theperiod of time to which the different articles may be subjected to thecooking medium. In order to regulate this period of time to which thedifferent articles may be Patented Dec. 7, 1909.,

subjected to the cooking medium I employ the j following means :vExtending along the tankfrom one end thereon, preferably the feed end,as here shown, are a series of standards or uprights 9 arranged in pairson opposite sides i of the tank, the-se standards here being shown ofchannel form, Fig. 6. Sliding in each of these channeled standards is ablock 10 carrying a pair of rollers 11, between which the-carrier chainA passes. There is one block 10 on each side of thetank for each pair ofstandards, so as to support equally both sides of the carrier. The topof each block has pivoted to it a link l2 vwhich is cranked, as shown,at-,it's upper end, at 13, and this cranked end of the link 12 isconnected to a crank-arm 14 on a rockshaft 15, which rock-shaft isjournaled with respect to a pair of standards and extends across themachine; each rock-shaft being operated by a suitable crank handle 16.The length of throw of the crank-arm 14 is such that when the parts arein the position shown in Figo, the carrier will rest in the bottom ofthe tank and the cans on the carrier will be submerged in the hot liquidtherein. If the handle 16 is turned through ahalf revolution, a pair ofblocks will be elifted, carrying u'p with them the chain and raising itclear of the liquid in the tank; the cranked off-set 13 passing over thecenter of the shaft 15 when the parts are lifted as just described, andforming an automatic lock to hold up the carrier. This elevatedposit-ion of thel carrier is represented in Fig. l, and at the extremeleft of Fig. 2. i

The chain is of suflicient length that always a part of it will betraveling through the heating liquid in the tank. Passing out of thetank at the'opposite eti'd from which the cans `are fed, the carrier'travels up an incline arohnd the end sprocket 3, thence down beneaththe tank-to the point of beginning again.

In Figs. 1 and 2, taken collectlvely, the

apparatus `is shown as set for theshortest `period di booking.

The sta`"`dards 9 are spaced apart commensurate withthe s eed of travel,or conversely, the-speed o travel of the belt is 'regulated according tothe distancebetween thesuccessive pairs of standards 9, so lthat if anyset of rollers 11 of a forward'pair of 'standards 1s dropped so as tolet a greater length of belt run through the water, then thecookingperiod will be increased a cer- Abe runthrcugh 'the apparatus atl-onetime" defini-te length of time, say live minutes.

"The Vheat-ing of theiwater in-the Itank may 'be effected by runningsteam pipes 17 through the channels formedfby. the angles -In operation,the machine 'is set so that a definite portion of the carrier-will besub,-

-gnerged, according to the .desired periodof lame to which. the articleisto be subjectedv ytithe cooking medium. rllhe cans are fed in 'fromany suitable source'oif supply, as from tithe runway 1.8,and are pickedup by the suc-4 cessive cross lianges of' the inverted T-bars Themachine may be made of any size [and width so vthat several rows of cansmay as indicated at Fig. 4. 4 vThe period of time to which the articlemay be subjected to the cooking medium is regulatedby dropping one ormorel pairs of blocks 10 adjacent to the point of's'ubmergence. For.articles requiring but a limited cooking, all the blocks are raised, as:shown in the collective views, Figs. 1 andv2. lf the article isto besubjected to the cooking medium lfor a longe-r period of time, thefrontset of blocks. isA

dropped bysimply swingingv over the front icrank'handle 16 so as to dropthat section of 'the chain. 'It a still vlonger period of cooking isdesired, it may be secured by a similar operation on the nextlsucceeding set of blocks; nr several pairs ofblocks, if necessary, may

be' lropped, if a very long period of cooking' is required.

I' Thatpertion' of the carrier which is above the liquid, and whichcarries theuncooke'd cans, -is supported only by the rollersll,"

these successive rollers being so spaced apart that the portion of thecarrier which sags within the tank, and represented at a, Fig.'

. 2, will-4 operate to maintain the Lipper unsubmerged part ofthe'carrier taut at all times;

the Ts'bars being so positioned that they will not bind on the cans.During this up perpart lof the travel of the bans, the latter ,aresupported on the base flanges of these inverted T-bars and dependslightly through I' Y the slots 6 formed between the adjacent Iierslides along on the angle-'bar flooring 7, .and during thisl part of thetravel the: cans cross-bars. The submerged part4 of the carare liftedenough out of the slots 6, being supported on the angle 7, and arepushed forward by the "i" -bar behind and-are' made eaaeis to roll. Itis this continuousy rolling 'motion of the cans during the cooking thatis one f' important feature of the invention. 4 l' The cans on risingout of the liquid and traveling up the'incline atthe right of Fig.

2, 'have a chance to cool, and they are shunt fed oil, at 19', fromthecarrier to any suitable point of delivery. l l While l have shown ahot water tank for cooking the cans, it is manifest that any othercooking or heating means may be em ployed, and which would be applicablein thearrangement here shown; theessential feature of the inventionbeing. the means' for'A raising and llowering the sections of the chainso as to vary the period of time to which the dierent articles may besubject'- ed lto the cooking medium, and making the cans roll during thecooking operation..

Having thus described my invention,'what ,l claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is- 1. A. can-cooker comprising an endless chain, aheating tank, means for support-ing the chain to permit a portion of ,itto be submerged inthe tank, and means forl varying the submerged lengthof the chain, said chain'provided with can-carrying means.

2. in a can-cooker, the combination of a heating tank, a can-carriersuitably supported-*and havinga portion submerfed in the tank, and meansior raising and tlowering portions of the carrier tol vary the sub-'merged length thereof.

vthe opposite sides of the carrier beingsuppoited above the tank onadjustable rollers, and means for adjusting said rollers to vary thesubmerged length of said carrier. Y

5 In a can-cooker, the combination of a heating tank, an endless carrierhavingv a can-carrying portion submerged in the tank, the opposite sidesof the carrier being supported above the tank on adjustable rollers, andmeans for adjusting said rollers to vary the submerged length ofsaidcarrier, said rollers lbeing mounted on blocks sliding in 'verticallstandards, and said blocks -oper- 125 vative in pairs.

6. A can-cooker comprising a cooking tank, an endless can-carrierhaving` a portion submerged therein, a series of-uprights at oppositesides 'ofthe tank.carriersup A130 standards,

ralslng and' loWeri porting rollers sliding pn said u xprights, andmeans for raising and lowering the rollers to vary the .submerged lengthof the carrier.

7 The combination of an endless can-oarrier .passingover end sprockets,and inter medlate supportlng means for the-carrier,

said supportlng means comprising op osed endless carrier having aVportion dipping sprockets, intermediatevsprocketsor [rollers supportingthe portion of the carrier above '-i=, he tank, and means for raisingand'lower'- l 1 ing the intermediate sprockets to snbi'nergel more orless of the-earlier, said endless" can j )endlessoarrier havingthereinto,` th

thereinto, the carrier.. supported on end ing the, intermediatesprockets to suhmerge anendiess 'carrier having e portion more or lessiof the cari-1er. y

The combination ffao'oking tank, an Aa portion dipping supporting theportion o the carrier above rier including .orosswise extending,inverted .T-shaped bars suitablyrspaeed apartto al# loW a canl partly todepend t h.erethroughv andpartlysp ort theea-n. 4

.10. .The .'eom ination .of a. Cooking tank,

' Y 'an endless carrier having a -portion dipping" i sprockets,intermediate sprockets or rollers supporting the-portion oftheearrier-,above the tank, means for raising andlowerlng thereintofthecarrier .supported on' end blocks slidable on saidgstan ards, irollerson the blocks engagingend support- 1 0A e carrier-- supporteol on' endg-s1 :)rookets, mtermedlain sprockets or rollers' nesses.

the intermediate sprockets to submerge more e can partly to :depenthelletlirough'partlllyi support the can-,f and a vfiooring inthe ta onwhich the cans partially restnnd over which they are made to roll' whenthe-cansl are traveling through the tank..

. '11,. The, combination y'of e cookingA an endless carrier havinga'portion 'l |thereimno, ,the carrier supported on en Ppm 'therenr/o,Ythe oerrior 'supported jon .en' s sproekets. intermediate s rockets orrollers supporting the 'portion o the carrier above thetank7and'means-for raising and lowering theA intermediate sprockets tosilbmerge -niore or less of the carrier, .said means for rai/sing andlowerlngsaid intermediate rollklolooks arranged in pairs -on pposite si'es' of thev tank, and vfor opieratin'g the blocks oli-:a vpair inunison. forenk' and link connections with the blocks ers comprising`slidln f ntestimony whereof I have hereuntoset my handin presence oftwosuhsoribing Wit- JOHN COOK. Witnesses: l

i T. H. FALLON,

- J. T. WATERS.

tank." lppln "f 5.0 spnoekets.;l intermediate sprockets or rollers'supporting the portion of .the carrier above

